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Nga Roimata o Ukaipo
Introduction to the area. Nga Roimata o Ukaipo (English: Loyalty Islands, French: Les Îles Fidèles) are an archipelago 150 kilometers off the northern coast of the mainland of Berringsland. Naming Loyalty Islands was a name applied to the Islands by early European visitors; however, the naming Nga Roimata o Ukaipo is becoming more fashionable, especially in academic and anthropological circles. The name was recently chosen as the title for the riding in the Provisional Asembly following a motion's adoption. Geography The Loyalty Islands are a good distance off the north east coast of New Caledonia. They are mostly flat, the highest point being only 15 meters above sea level. The islands are covered in rain forest. There are four islands in Nga Roimata. The largest is Lifou, the western-most island. The next largest is the central island, Manawai. The eastern-most two islands are Maré (the northern-most of the two) and Ouvéa. History The island chain was first settled around 800BC by the Lapita people, who gradually moved on to explore the rest of the South Pacific. In 900BC, a group of those who settled on Nga Roimata moved onto the mainland of what is now Berringsland around 900BC. Because of their limited geographic orientation, the First Nations settlers who first found Nga Roimata perceived them as south of the mainlands, thus their name, which literally translates to the Teardrops of Berringsland. Demographics This is a sparsely populated area containing only 15,500 residents. The only settlements of note are Gaitcha, the administrative centre of the islands, on Lifou and a scientific research outpost at Wabao, on Ouvéa, home to around 300 Westerners. The rest of the islanders live in tiny hamlets spread throughout the island chain. Tribes There are six identified tribes that inhabit the islands of Nga Roimata. They are peaceful between each other of recent; however, each have shared past hostilities with one another. Two tribes reside on Lifou. The dominant tribe of the island, and the most powerful tribe in all of Nga Roimata, are the Rangiteaorere. They control Gaitcha, the administrative capital of Nga Roimata, and hold a stake in the "partnership city" of Piriti, which sits on the border between the two tribes of Lifou. The Rangiteaorere side of the town is known as Whīra. The other tribe on Lifou are the Pa'rangau people, the native tribe of the MPA for Nga Roimata, Josie Koevira. Their tribal capital city is Atuatiro, on the northern coast. There is also a strategic hamlet, Matuaiwi, which exists as a remnant of the tribal warfare that dominated the island chain until the late 1800s. The Pa'rangau side of Piriti is known as Tāmaota. Manawai is controlly heavily by the Kaingato tribe, which controls the vast majority of the island. Their tribal capital is Takimoru, and Nga One exists on the southern coast as a transportation hub for inter-island ferry traffic. The eastern coast of the island is controlled by the Tangahoe tribe, whose population mostly resides within their only hamlet, Maerewhenua. Ouvéa is home of two distinct cultures: The southern tip of the island is the homebase for Wabao, the scientific and anthropological station for a mostly Western European audience. The rest of the island is controlled by the Whanau-Maru tribe. There is dispute amongst the tribal members as to the tribal capital. Most believe that Pākaiahi, the western hamlet on the island, is the official tribal capital as it is the historical capital of the tribe. However, a recent contingent lead by a rejected heir to the chieftainship inhabits Oturehua on the east coast and maintains that he is the true heir to the chieftainship. Maré, the smallest of all the islands in the chain, is populated wholly by the Porou people, who rely on their only hamlet, Niuwāpu, for transportation off of the island. Religion Unsurprisingly, this isolated Melanesian region is home to the highest proportion of First Nation Believers in the country (88%). Only 9% of the population are Atheists, making this the most religious district in Berringsland. The islands saw some missionary activity in centuries past but the islanders showed little interest in converting to Christianity. The islands’ lack of resources meant the European Empires left them alone and the churches reluctantly abandoned their outposts. Catholics only make up 2% of the population and Anglicans only make up 1%. Most of these are scientists at Wabao and only a handful of islanders are Christians. Economy Economic activity has barely got beyond the basic subsistence level, the only export being copra, the dried meat of the coconut. Yams, beans and fish are also produced here. Production among the First Nations of Loyalty is organised along collective lines and, with the exception of the scientists, equality is absolute. Transportation Transportation is limited as the European settlers and the Nationalist regime left the islands to themselves for the majority of the time. Roads There are a number of narrow earth paths that criss-cross the islands. There are no paved roads in Nga Roimata. There is usually a route in between two hamlets that is wide enough to handle drawn cart traffic in both directions. Water Traffic Transportation by water is by far the most common mode of transportation throughout the island chain. Most rely on self-propelled boats. Some own sailboats or rafts with the ability to harness the wind for transportation. Only commercial boats and the private boats of tribal chiefs and other notables are motorized. Only Gaitcha, Nga One, and Wabao have the capacity and infrastructure to handle ferry traffic from the mainland. However, as of currently, Nga One does not receive any traffic from the mainland. Aviation There is a helipad in Wabao, and this remains the only way to reach Nga Roimata by air. There has been some talk of creating a temporary helipad in Gaitcha; however, the plans as of right now are dormant. Law & Government Tribal Government Most legal action on the islands occur on the tribal level, and each tribe uses their own Tribal Code to dictate the laws of their territory. Kāpunipuni (Islands Assembly) All of the tribes except for the Porou people participate in the annual Kāpunipuni, which is a meeting of the tribal leaders to discuss issues and questions facing all of the islands. The meetings are chaired by the host chief, and the meeting is hosted in a different tribe's capital every year. The Kāpunipuni is open to attendance by anyone; however, only the chiefs are granted speaking privileges. National Representation Nga Roimata is represented at the national level by United Leftist Josie Koevira. The four islands form their own electoral district Nga Roimata. Important cities and towns The largest town in Nga Roimata is Gaitcha, the administrative capital for the island chain. The other hamlets of note, in order of population are: Piriti, Wabao, Pākaiahi, Atuatiro, Nga One, Takimoru, Maerewhenua, Oturehua, Matuaiwi, and Niuwāpu. Education Nearly no formal education structure exists in Nga Roimata. All children are trained first-hand to be able to handle the work that their parents take on. The only formal educational structure in Nga Roimata exists as an anomaly to most other societies. All children are given a form of "sex education" at the age of (roughly) 12 and at the age of 16. At the conclusion of their education at the age of 16, children are considered to have grown into full adults. Miscellaneous topics Notable people * Sailor Fatoia Marae is a resident of Pākaiahi and won a silver medal for Berringsland in the Women's Double-Handed Dinghy sailing race in the 2000 Olympics along with Olivia Farren. Fatoia is, as of yet, the only First Nations person from Berringsland to win an Olympic medal. Symbols * Cocunuts * Islands